Earthquakes on Two Coasts

Businesses in Napa are assessing the damage caused by the August 24, 2014 earthquake. The South Napa Earthquake shook the Northern California wine country at 3:20 a.m., causing damages to homes, commercial properties and the local infrastructure.

Rewind to August 23, 2011. A 5.8 earthquake rattled Northern Virginia and the Washington, D.C. metro area, causing several million dollars in property damages to homes and businesses. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), approximately one-third of the U.S. population may have felt that earthquake, with shaking reports from southeastern Canada to Florida and as far west as Texas.

October 17 will mark the 25th anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The 6.9 earthquake was responsible for 63 deaths, and extensive property losses to Northern California residents and businesses. In the aftermath of the Loma Prieta quake, the SBA approved more than 15,000 disaster loans for $582 million.

Earthquakes pose a significant risk to 75 million American in 39 states, according to the USGS. Knowing your area’s risk for earthquakes is important. Now is a good time to begin, or expand your business continuity plan. September is National Preparedness Month, and the SBA wants to help business owners take charge of the well-being of their companies, the safety of their employees, and the health of their local economies by being prepared to rebound quickly from any kind of disaster.

The SBA and Agility Recovery will host disaster preparedness webinars during National Preparedness Month. The half-hour long webinars will be presented at 2 p.m., Eastern time, each Wednesday in September. Visit www.NPM2014.com to register for any or all of the webinars listed below:

September 3: Crisis Communications for Any OrganizationLearn best practices for developing an emergency communication strategy.

September 10: How to Plan for a Power Interruption…and Recover FastTips on how to make your company resilient and better prepared to mitigate losses during power outages.

September 17: The Top 5 Steps for Preparedness This YearThe top five ways to prepare for disaster-related business interruptions will be discussed.

September 24: If You Do Nothing Else This YearSimple, low-cost tips on building a solid business continuity plan.